# Help with new cedar trays . . .



## l330n (Mar 24, 2011)

I was using cigar boxes before with no problems in my wineador. but i wanted to have more space to i bought some of the spanish cedar trays and i cant seem to get them seasoned. I have multiple sponges with shot glasses and the rh wont get higher than high 50s. i even wiped down the trays to try and the rh goes up but then goes back down. Its been 2 days. I have a 12 thermo winecooler with the drain hole plugged and seems to have a nice tight seal as far as i can see. I ordered a boveda calibrater just to double check my caliber III. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I also dont know what to do with my cigars! I got some new cigars this week should i just stick all of them in the fridge/freezer? Sorry, i know its a lot of of questions . . .


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## sligub (Apr 6, 2011)

Good idea to check your hydrometer, could use the salt test. I would think if your meter is correct then you just need to leave it for a couple of days as it can take a while to season all that cedar. Triple bag your new sticks and put them in the freezer for 2-4 days which will kill of any larvae and give you time to properly season your drawers.


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## l330n (Mar 24, 2011)

Do you think i should go ahead just do salt test? I know the caliber III says not to do salt test to only use boveda :noidea: i just dont wanna wait for the dumb thing to come in. I just ordered it.


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## sligub (Apr 6, 2011)

As far as I know the reason for not using the salt test is the possibility of causing corrosion internally but I wouldn't think that two days would cause any problems.


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## l330n (Mar 24, 2011)

I dont think so either, screw it im bout to do it right now.


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## l330n (Mar 24, 2011)

Can u think of any problems i may b having if my hygrometer is fine? Or what I can try?


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## smirak (Jul 9, 2011)

I believe the Caliber III says don't do it with salt. Not sure why, but I do remember reading a thread a bit ago (maybe a week or a little more) and the poster said he couldn't get it calibrated using the salt test...bought a boveda and calibrated it within 30 mins...


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## falconman515 (Jul 10, 2011)

*Do Not Do The Salt Test On The Caliber III*

It states in the manual to not use that test... the reason I am not sure but one thing I do know is the salt test will not give a correct reading.

I bought a Boveda Calibration Pack and just like he said within an hour it was rock solid at 75% and stayed that way for alsmot 24 hours.

I can almost guarantee that your Caliber III is already calibrated correctly.... but you will know for sure when the pack arrives.

Here is my thread I started with my ups and down on testing my Caliber III and how it all ended once I used the Boveda Pack to test.

http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...er-iii-hygroset-ii-what-do-you-recommend.html

If you have any questions please let me know. Your current set-up, smaller wine cooler and hygrometer at almost exactly my set-up for the most part. So I may be able to help you further with any issue you may have.

See my current build and all the details here: http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...ler-into-humidor-help-newbies-first-time.html

As far as your Rh issue and seasoning your trays... I wiped mine down a couple times a day and left a cup of DW with the wet sponge on a baggie (same way they to season a humidor) for the first day then I put in the 70% beads the next day and repeated the wipe down for about 3 days. Make sure you don't open the door as much as possible. Also where is Caliber III mounted? If its mounted directly on the front I have found that in a small cooler that has trays and is kinda tight especially when all the beads are in the back it wont read the correct Rh and temp like it would if the meter was laying in the tray. What I did was lay the Caliber III sitting up horizontally in the tray itself and used a flashlight to shine in on the meter through the glass to read what the true Rh was actually in the tray not outside the tray mounted on the front.

Hope this may help a little bit to trouble shoot a few more things.

I look forward to talking with you soon.


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## sligub (Apr 6, 2011)

We use smmilar products to check hydromiters at work. They are the salt test just with controlled amounts of salt( different salts for different humiditys) and water. They are wrapped in a semipermiable barrier to stop corrosion effects


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## l330n (Mar 24, 2011)

Well i can say that my caliber III was spot on 75! thats crazy, kind of cool, i never did it before. 

. . . and chris thanks for the info, ill try wiping it down again to see what happens, last night it was at 58rh this morn it was 60 i guess its just gonna take a while. Im also gonna try what u said and put the hygro in the bottom tray. Thanks for the info, ill keep ya updated.


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## piperdown (Jul 19, 2009)

Where oh where is Herf N Turf? He could answer this better but here it goes:
cedar shelves, depending on their thickness and how many shelves can take up to a week or two to stabilize. 2 days is not enough as you don't know how dry they were.
keep going until the rH is stabilized.


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## l330n (Mar 24, 2011)

Thanks, ill keep at it and ill follow up


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## l330n (Mar 24, 2011)

Should i be leaving the wet sponges inside or just shot glasses with water? I had both but i have a feeling maybe the sponges arent wet enough, maybe? Should they be really soaked?


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## sligub (Apr 6, 2011)

l330n said:


> Should i be leaving the wet sponges inside or just shot glasses with water? I had both but i have a feeling maybe the sponges arent wet enough, maybe? Should they be really soaked?


AS long as there wet they will be helping so leave them in.


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## l330n (Mar 24, 2011)

OK, so it looks like the rh stopped dropping finally! Has been at 65 for almost 24 hrs, should i throw in the 65% beads in now or get it a little higher to like 70rh? I figure it may drop a little when i put the sticks in right?


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## sligub (Apr 6, 2011)

check on the sticky by herf and terf at the top, but basically although the air is at the correct rh the wood is not seasoned yet. You want to get the humidity to 70 or over then put in dry 65% beads to prevent a spike in rh, then leave it to allow the wood to equalize to the correct humidity.


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## l330n (Mar 24, 2011)

Im starting to get worried and frustrated with this, i know im being impatient but i dont know what to do with my cigars, ive taken them out of the freezer,left them out for half a day and put them in the wineador since its been holding around 65ish and im sure its a little normal for the rh to go down but its down to like 51rh. Ive given a couple of light sprays which bring it up for a little while then goes back down. I know im not supposed to raise the rh too quickly or ill risk the cigars swelling and tear wrappers. Will the rh eventually go up or do i need to just take them out and keep at it? I guess i should have just left the old cigar boxes, i just needed more space. :frusty: Im worried the cigars will ruin.


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## sligub (Apr 6, 2011)

First deep breath Check the reading in the morning it can take a while for the rh to stabilise after adding a lot of sticks. If it's still low add some water to the kl at the bottom of the wineador, leave for 6 hours check again. Your sticks should be fine, just think what they go through in the back of a mail truck for a week before they get to you. If the rh is still low check to make sure you have enough media(kl) for your volume. You can More than you need, spread through the drawers.


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

First of all, stop worrying. This sport is about relaxation and enjoyment, not fretting about a few percentiles of moisture. There's not one thing wrong with storing cigars in the high 50%'s. In fact, that's my preferred range for all my non-non-Cubans  

Depending on how many trays you installed and their thickness, it could take several days to get them stable. Wiping them down is fine, but just do it lightly more frequently, rather than being too heavy handed with the sponge.

Do not use shot glasses or bowls of water. Use sponges, since they offer vastly more surface area. 

Be patient and don't panic.

Good luck :smoke:


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## socalocmatt (Dec 22, 2010)

Herf N Turf said:


> Wiping them down is fine, but just do it lightly more frequently, rather than being too heavy handed with the sponge.


Reminds me of a friend who decided to speed up the seasoning process by pouring DW in his humi, closing the lid, then swishing the water around. Needless to say, he had to toss it after a month of issues from crazy high humidity to f**ed up seal.


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

socalocmatt said:


> Reminds me of a friend who decided to speed up the seasoning process by pouring DW in his humi, closing the lid, then swishing the water around. Needless to say, he had to toss it after a month of issues from crazy high humidity to f**ed up seal.


B&M's should have a "most wanted" board like the Post Office! "Never allow this man to buy, smoke, touch, or even look at, another cigar!"ound:


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## socalocmatt (Dec 22, 2010)

LMAO. He was new and has since learned his lesson, but yea. I still laugh at him for it.


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## sligub (Apr 6, 2011)

Herf N Turf said:


> B&M's should have a "most wanted" board like the Post Office! "Never allow this man to buy, smoke, touch, or even look at, another cigar!"ound:


Never smoking again seems harsh 3 years probation (only allowed to smoke fully supervised by a botl with 10 years experience).



Herf N Turf said:


> First of all, stop worrying. This sport is about relaxation and enjoyment, not fretting about a few percentiles of moisture. There's not one thing wrong with storing cigars in the high 50%'s. In fact, that's my preferred range for all my non-non-Cubans
> 
> Depending on how many trays you installed and their thickness, it could take several days to get them stable. Wiping them down is fine, but just do it lightly more frequently, rather than being too heavy handed with the sponge.
> 
> ...


Listen to this, he knows what he's talking about.


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## l330n (Mar 24, 2011)

Herf N Turf said:


> First of all, stop worrying. This sport is about relaxation and enjoyment, not fretting about a few percentiles of moisture. There's not one thing wrong with storing cigars in the high 50%'s. In fact, that's my preferred range for all my non-non-Cubans
> 
> Depending on how many trays you installed and their thickness, it could take several days to get them stable. Wiping them down is fine, but just do it lightly more frequently, rather than being too heavy handed with the sponge.
> 
> ...


Thanks Don, i know this prob gonna sound stupid but i feel that i found the culprit. I bought 1/2lb of heartfelt beads several months ago and tried using that first and could never get the wine coolers rh to go up so i thought maybe it wasnt enough (should have been, its only a 12 bottle cooler) and i didnt want to spend and wait longer to order andother 1/2lb so i put them away and went with kitty litter, worked like a charm! Well i got these new trays and bout another 1/2 lb thinkin it will work this time.(1lb total now) Nothing, cant get this crap over high 50s. I bought some tupperware two days ago for temporary storage and been using cat litter in all of them with about 68-70rh EASY! So after i take out all the sticks and HEARTFELT BEADS out of the cooler, i check the rh and its like in the 90s!!! WTF! I give up on these hearfelt beads. I may be doing something wrong, but im about to try this with cat litter again, then i will know for sure if it was the damn beads. im using one of the 60% tubes for my 20ct humi with no problems but the loose beads just not working for me . . . i think. Ill get back to yall when i see what the cat litter does.


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## cleanerPA (Jul 3, 2011)

I can't help with the heartfelt beads, but I bought a 8 lb. jug of exquisicat crystal cat litter and put 4 big filter bags' worth of KL into my 12 bottle wine cooler. Oh, I sprayed the KL with distilled water using a new spray bottle prior to putting it in the bags.

The cooler went to about 75% RH within a day or so, stayed that way for over a week. Crept down to about 72% when I added three cigar boxes.

When my shelves from Forrest arrived, I put them in right away- all of that door opening and such dropped the RH to around 50%, went up to 66-67% within 4 hours. I added a mug with distilled water in there, humidity rose to about 70%. Took the mug out, now the wine cooler is running 70% RH at 66F for two days straight.

Maybe there's something to be said about KL.


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## l330n (Mar 24, 2011)

Well after taking out the damn HF beads the rh shot up to 90ish so decided to take the beads out of the filter bag and replace it with good ol cat litter. I put the cat litter in DRY to see if it would drop the humidity and after several hours it was down to low 70s. Left it alone for 2-3 days, still at 70 on the dot. Im pretty ok with that for now because i have a small 20 ct humi that i keep at low 60s for my next smokes. Im still gonna leave it for couple days and see if it remains at 70. Hopefully throw my sticks in soon.


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